A Dark Sunday
and a writing practice and a list of Black Buffalo nonprofits
Dear Writers,
I won’t include links to all the terrible things that have happened in the past week. It’s likely you know. But I wanted to acknowledge everything. And I want to encourage every white person who reads this newsletter to listen and read about what happened in Buffalo, to listen to their Black friends and community members, and to make space for whatever feelings arise in that listening.
The violence against Black people in our country and the violence against women (and people with vaginas) and trans people are all linked, and at the same time there is a lot of complexity therein. I personally think that the bottom line is that we need to be advocating for those who have less resources and privilege than us, whoever those people may be.
We also need to make space for our grief. Our fear. Our anger.
Freewriting is an incredible healing practice and I liken it to meditation. I invite you to take a half hour, sit down, take out a paper and pen(cil), and write down these three questions.
How do I contribute to other people’s oppression?
How am I oppressed?
What do I need right now?
Spend ten minutes with each question. Just start writing. Each time you lift up your pen and stop writing, start writing again, even if it’s to write out your frustration at not knowing what to write. Don’t judge yourself or edit yourself. Don’t erase or blot out. Let it all come out. No one will see it— you can burn it or rip it up when you’re done if you’d like.
We are constantly censoring ourselves, and often in the interest of protecting others (or ourselves) from what’s truly going on inside us. That’s good. That keeps the peace. But we hide from ourselves, and this creates inner conflict and misalignment. Our actions become out of line with who we want to be.
Freewriting can create a doorway, an insight into what’s going on inside of us.
That’s why it’s very important not to judge what comes up, but to look at it clearly and with compassion. To accept yourself with compassion.
I used to live in Syracuse, NY. For a few years I worked in a primarily Black school there, and
I have been thinking about the kids, parents, and community members I worked closely with. I’ve been thinking about their local grocery store and how vulnerable they are to white violence. So often, Black communities are portrayed as violence, but my experience was not violent inside of those communities. I witnessed more kindness, honesty, and perseverance than I did in white communities, and most of the violence I witnessed came directly from white teachers, police, politicians, and administrators.
Please consider making a donation to any of these Buffalo nonprofits, or to any community programs supporting Black communities where you live.
And National Resources
SURJ (showing up for racial justice) —note that this is a group for white folks who want to show up for racial justice and has local chapters in most communities
Black Lives Matter (note that there are local chapters you can support, so please make sure to find your local chapter and support locally or even become involved by volunteering)
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES
Lastly: if there is a battle against Critical Race Theory (which actually doesn’t exist) in your community, get involved. We need to assure that the true history of the US is taught in public schools and that conversations around racism are not censored. Ditto for LGBTQIA+ convos being suppressed.
Thanks so much for reading.